North derails East

Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 11:58 p.m.

North Henderson's girls basketball team is off to one of its best starts since Kevin Rhodes has been the head coach.

The Lady Knights put away East Henderson 57-36 on Tuesday night at home to improve to 6-2 and 1-1 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

"That's one of the best starts since I've been here," Rhodes, who is in his sixth year at North, said.

On April 10, Rhodes was worried he might not be back on the sidelines. He suffered a heart attack and ended up getting two stints put in his chest. It was a life-saving wake-up call.

"I remember sitting in the hospital thinking I wasn't going to be able to coach. It was on Good Friday, and it wasn't so good for me," he said.

"The doctors told him if he hadn't had that heart attack, he would've had a massive one later that could've killed him," North principal Frank Edney said.

The experience changed Rhodes' life. Now he eats healthier and does regular exercise as he continues to lose weight.

"I've still got some more pounds to go. It's been going very well. The only problem is I still get a little excited on the sidelines from time to time," he said.

He didn't have any worries against East (0-8, 0-2), as his Lady Knights held a double-digit lead for almost the entire second half. Ashley Brown had 15 points and 19 rebounds, and Jessica Hartley added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Two other North players, Jodi Edwards and Meredith Israel, reached double figures with 11 points apiece.

"He's a great guy, and it's great to see him on the sidelines," Lady Eagle coach Katie Easler, who played for Rhodes when he was an assistant at East, said. "He always cared about us, and he was a great coach. I still want to beat him, though."

Two East girls reached double figures: Stephanie Smith with 16 and Latisha Edwards with 13.

In the nightcap, the Knights got within three points with five minutes to go, but East's Jacob Bracken sank three 3-pointers in just two minutes as East pulled away for a 54-44 win.

"Jacob is a streaky shooter, and we were glad he hit those 3s at the end there. That was big," East coach John Johnston said after his Eagles improved to 3-5 and 1-1.

Another big key down the stretch was the defensive play of Jalen Ashe, who had two big steals and a defensive rebound in the closing minutes.

"Jalen did a great job defensively, and that led to some high percentage shots for us. Coach Wooden used to always stress the importance of field goal percentage, and the longer I coach, the more I understand that," Johnston said.

"They were getting their guys open looks, and they were hitting their shots," North coach Skip Taylor said. "We weren't getting the open looks."

East's Nathan Roberts had a game-high 15 points, and Bracken was close behind with 12. Thomas Waddell added 11.

For North, Michael Roberts had 13 points, and Colby Drake had 11.

East returns to the court tonight at Hendersonville, while North will next face Tuscola on Friday in Waynesville.

<p>North Henderson's girls basketball team is off to one of its best starts since Kevin Rhodes has been the head coach.</p><p>The Lady Knights put away East Henderson 57-36 on Tuesday night at home to improve to 6-2 and 1-1 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.</p><p>"That's one of the best starts since I've been here," Rhodes, who is in his sixth year at North, said.</p><p>On April 10, Rhodes was worried he might not be back on the sidelines. He suffered a heart attack and ended up getting two stints put in his chest. It was a life-saving wake-up call.</p><p>"I remember sitting in the hospital thinking I wasn't going to be able to coach. It was on Good Friday, and it wasn't so good for me," he said.</p><p>"The doctors told him if he hadn't had that heart attack, he would've had a massive one later that could've killed him," North principal Frank Edney said.</p><p>The experience changed Rhodes' life. Now he eats healthier and does regular exercise as he continues to lose weight.</p><p>"I've still got some more pounds to go. It's been going very well. The only problem is I still get a little excited on the sidelines from time to time," he said.</p><p>He didn't have any worries against East (0-8, 0-2), as his Lady Knights held a double-digit lead for almost the entire second half. Ashley Brown had 15 points and 19 rebounds, and Jessica Hartley added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Two other North players, Jodi Edwards and Meredith Israel, reached double figures with 11 points apiece.</p><p>"He's a great guy, and it's great to see him on the sidelines," Lady Eagle coach Katie Easler, who played for Rhodes when he was an assistant at East, said. "He always cared about us, and he was a great coach. I still want to beat him, though."</p><p>Two East girls reached double figures: Stephanie Smith with 16 and Latisha Edwards with 13.</p><p>In the nightcap, the Knights got within three points with five minutes to go, but East's Jacob Bracken sank three 3-pointers in just two minutes as East pulled away for a 54-44 win.</p><p>"Jacob is a streaky shooter, and we were glad he hit those 3s at the end there. That was big," East coach John Johnston said after his Eagles improved to 3-5 and 1-1.</p><p>Another big key down the stretch was the defensive play of Jalen Ashe, who had two big steals and a defensive rebound in the closing minutes.</p><p>"Jalen did a great job defensively, and that led to some high percentage shots for us. Coach Wooden used to always stress the importance of field goal percentage, and the longer I coach, the more I understand that," Johnston said.</p><p>"They were getting their guys open looks, and they were hitting their shots," North coach Skip Taylor said. "We weren't getting the open looks."</p><p>East's Nathan Roberts had a game-high 15 points, and Bracken was close behind with 12. Thomas Waddell added 11.</p><p>For North, Michael Roberts had 13 points, and Colby Drake had 11.</p><p>East returns to the court tonight at Hendersonville, while North will next face Tuscola on Friday in Waynesville.</p>